Miller Clear Beer

One of the most notorious marketing failures in the beer industry: Miller's decision to create a beer that not only tasted like water, but looked like it as well. It was an outgrowth of the "clear craze" of the 1980s and 90s (making transparent products because, as wikipedia notes, "clarity was equated with purity and freedom from artificial dyes").

Staunton News Leader - June 27, 1993

Posted By: Alex - Thu Nov 29, 2018 - Comments (3)
Category: Inebriation and Intoxicants, Products, 1990s

1966 Revisited

Not only do you get the intro and outro to a stinker of a sitcom, but also a litany of worries--headaches, upset stomachs, flyaway hair--that seem positively benign in 2018.

Posted By: Paul - Mon Nov 26, 2018 - Comments (0)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Ineptness, Crudity, Talentlessness, Kitsch, and Bad Art, 1960s

The Wonderful World of Chemistry

Posted By: Paul - Sun Nov 04, 2018 - Comments (1)
Category: Business, Advertising, Industry, Factories and Manufacturing, Products, Technology, 1960s

Follies of the Madmen #392

Not an ad that would fly in today's climate.

Source.

Posted By: Paul - Mon Oct 29, 2018 - Comments (1)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Ethnic Groupings, Stereotypes and Cliches, 1970s

Follies of the Madmen #390

Our coffee is appreciated by harridans and idiots.

Posted By: Paul - Thu Oct 18, 2018 - Comments (2)
Category: Annoying Things, Business, Advertising, Products, Coffee and other Legal Stimulants, 1950s

Follies of the Madmen #386

Very convoluted ad for the Sir Galahad watchband that will add courage to your wrist.

By the way:

Posted By: Paul - Tue Sep 25, 2018 - Comments (2)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Television, 1940s, Comedians

Follies of the Madmen #380

Original ad from Radio Mirror for September 1937.

Posted By: Paul - Fri Aug 24, 2018 - Comments (5)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Hygiene, 1930s

Microwaveable Ice Cream Sundaes

Johnston's Hot Scoop Microwave Sundae is one of those products where you have to wonder what was going through the minds of the executives who dreamed it up. Introduced in the mid-1980s, the concept was that it was an entire, frozen ice cream sundae that you could heat in the microwave, and (in theory) only the topping would melt.

In practice, the ice cream also inevitably melted, leaving consumers with a soggy mix of ice cream and topping. And yet the company went to all the effort to make this thing because they figured it would be too difficult for people to just heat the topping on its own.



A review of the product:

Minneapolis Star Tribune - July 16, 1986

Posted By: Alex - Mon Jul 30, 2018 - Comments (4)
Category: Food, Products, 1980s

Push-Button Toothpaste

Toothpaste in a shaving-cream can.

Colorado Springs Gazette - Nov 24, 1972

Posted By: Alex - Sat Jun 30, 2018 - Comments (4)
Category: Products, 1970s, Teeth

Creap Creamer

It's one of the most famous examples of a Japanese product with a weird English name.

The name is a portmanteau of 'creaming powder.' When the marketing team came up with the name back in 1960, they evidently didn't realize about the word 'creep.' Or maybe they figured that few Japanese consumers would know what a creep was.



The way the company discusses the product on the product website results in some (presumably) unintentional humor: "This creap comes in a light, convenient plastic bottle... This creap comes in a light, small plastic bottle."



More info: You Don’t Know, Creap! 3 Odd Facts About Japan’s Awkwardly Named Coffee Creamer

Posted By: Alex - Sat Jun 23, 2018 - Comments (2)
Category: Odd Names, Products